Origins Of The Grey
by Powerslammer
Summary: Rated M for possible later chapters. This story goes over the character of my other Wardens and little bit of their past. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

Just like _"Highever Origins"_ in my story _"The Warden Aedan" _these chapter go over the character of my other Wardens and a bit of their past. I obviously didn't do a Human Origin for this story because that's what my other story is about.

I hope my other Wardens seem interesting and I may do more chapters in this story going over certain points in each of their individual lives and throught out the DA:O storyline.

And incase it needs to be said, Dragon Age and the whole world of Thedas is the property of the BioWare Gaming Company. I do not own anything involved with the game or any of its characters. This story is fictional and was made purely for the enjoyment the community.


	2. Banished To Kinloch Hold

Human Mage

Daylen Amell

Daylen was born in the Free Marches to the immensely wealthy and powerful Amell family of Kirkwall; being born with this name guaranteed him status, success and power that many can only dream of. The world was his oyster and he was the pearl. Alas, it was not to be, for in His cruel sense of humor, the Maker saw fit to make him and all his siblings mages. This travesty became a horrible embarrassment for the Amell name and it lost his uncle Aristide Amell his chance to be Viscount. When Daylen turned twelve his mother, Revka, came to him with the Templars and told him that he was to be taken to the Circle in Ferelden. She told him it was so that he wouldn't need to go to the Gallows where the Templars are particularly harsh, but Daylen knew it was because his uncle wanted his family's shame as far away as possible and within a few weeks Daylen found himself in cold, dog-smelling, backwater Ferelden.

Daylen's feelings of abandonment by his family and of being thrown in a glorified prison, as well as his own sense of noble pride, has instilled in him a sense of bitter ambition and aloofness that separates him from many of his peers. Daylen can settle for nothing less than being the best there is. In his studies and arcane training his driven by his need to prove to the world that he is the best and to spite the world that denied him simply for an accident of birth. His ultimate goal is to become the Grand Enchanter, the highest ranked mage in all the lands under the White Divine.

It is a stated fact that Daylen is a prodigy in the ways of magic, being capable of mastering spells in weeks that others need years just to learn, and Daylen knows this. Some of his fellow apprentices and even his instructors would say that he is confident to the point of arrogant, others would even say he is snobbish. Daylen would say that if he acts like he's better than everyone it's because it's true, and if anyone feels like proving him wrong, they are welcome to try. Daylen knows he is the best and has no reservations about making it known, after all the powerful and successful don't get very far by being meek and humble.

Some would think that his arrogance would lead him to make a deal with demons, but, ironically, it is this "arrogance", it's this sense of self-worth that makes flat out refuse any kind of association with demons. Not because of any moral or religious purposes but simply because he thinks he's too good for them. Daylen believes that the ultimate sign of accomplishment comes not from relying on others, their intentions malignant or benign notwithstanding, comes from a person's own drive and determination. Anyone who turns to demons for power, or turns to some dead prophetess for answer has nothing but his contempt and are not worth his time.

Religiously Daylen is most definitely an agnostic; he respects/dislikes and believes/disproves all religions equally. When it comes to Andraste he has a very negative opinion of her. From what the Chantry says, Andraste's victories were all thanks to the Maker, but the instant she was captured and sentenced to die, the Maker no longer had her back and she was doomed to burn at the stake. She died a horrible death in utter failure, and that's just sad. Of all the gods that have been and still are worshipped, Daylen feels the most inclined to worship the Old Gods, not because of the power they gave the ancient Tevinter Magisters, but because they are the only gods that have had an impact on the world and made their presence felt. However, seeing as how every time an Old God wakes up he wants to destroy the world Daylen usually brushes such inclinations aside.

There is not a doubt in Daylen's mind that the existence of the god's and demi-gods of other cultures do, in fact, exist. The Avvarian demi-god Sigfrost, a great bear god, who sits at the foot of the Mountain-Father's throne guards all knowledge. And in Dalish lore they say that bears are the favored beasts of Dirthamen, god of knowledge and secrets. These similarities cannot be coincidence because Daylen met such a spirit before! Daylen has flashes of a half-remembered dream of standing before a giant cave and speaking with a great bear who spoke to him in all the languages of the world. He doesn't remember what the bear told him, but the next morning when he woke up he capable of doing spells that should have taken years to learn, no apprentice should have been able to accomplish such spells.

Daylen is a controversial libertarian, he believes that the mages should not be ruled the Chantry, but by the government that each Circle falls under the jurisdiction of. The Chantry has a very biased agenda and seeks to rule over the lives of mages everywhere, but the laws that govern the mages should fall to kingdoms in which the mages are citizens. Every kingdom and culture is different and should be allowed to govern over the mages differently than how the Chantry demands. Under the Chantry mages will never enjoy any freedom, but under the rulership of a sovereign kingdom as recognized citizens, they may have a real chance at having a life.

Unlike most of his fellow mages, Daylen has the wanderlust and he is not content with sitting at candle and reading a book about spells, but would rather lean through trial by fire and go out and make use of that spell. He wants to be able to leave the Tower and show the whole world what he is capable of. Daylen wants to see the mountains, smell the forest and bathe in the ocean instead of just reading about it in a book.

Daylen is fiercely loyal to his fellow mages and also to the Circle, but they must both meet his standards in order for him to give a damn. As far as he's concerned the Loyalists and those who willingly became Tranquil should just put their head on a chopping block instead of being a waste of space, content with living as slaves. If it were up to Daylen he'd gladly kill every voluntary Tranquil mage himself for what they represent. This desire to want to help his fellow mages is what leads to his friendship with Jowan, who, like Daylen, was sent away from his home by a family who was ashamed of him. The two of them have been good friends throughout their apprenticeship.

Concerning the Templars, Daylen has a…healthy respect for them, only an idiot would not. While he is certain that some Templars, like Knight-Commander Gregoir, are driven purely by duty and are decent enough people, Daylen does not discount the many in the Templar ranks who are religious zealots and prejudice fanatics. But they are no different than the Tranquil, willing servants to the Chantry who controls them by getting them addicted to lyrium, making them incapable of functioning without it. They're no different than dogs being fed by the hand of their masters.

When it comes to certain kinds of magic, Daylen has a somewhat controversial view on them. He doesn't believe in such a thing as evil magic, only evil magic users. For example, a swords is a tool for killing; that is a gruesome fact. But a sword can be used to defend one's life or one's home. It is the same principal as magic. There have been instances where hedge mages have used bloodmagic to restore crops and heal wounds, and when Rivaini seers would let themselves be possessed by spirits to foretell and evade natural disasters. He has also always wanted to learn the less than convenient forms of magic used by Avvar and Chasind Shamans, Dalish Keepers and even Rivaini seers, who all use magic forbidden by the Chantry, but nonetheless, use their magic for the benefit of their people.

When he heard about what happened to his family, that the Amells had fallen on hard times after the death of his Uncle Aristide, and that his second cousin Gamlen had squandered his family fortune Daylen couldn't help but laugh his ass off. His only regret was that he wasn't there to piss on his uncle's ashes after they were done burning his sorry carcass.

When it comes to his style of magic Daylen is well versed in many of the Arcane Schools. When it comes to offense, he uses his cold focus and unrelenting ambition to rain ice and lightening down on his enemies, ripping them apart with a man-made storm. When it comes to defense he prefers to use wards and magic shields to stave off his attackers. But Daylen's favorite spells to use are curses, subtle and unforeseen. Uttering the right word and casting the spell just right and even the mightiest foe is suddenly plagued with bad luck, dementia, vertigo and even death.

"_They say magic exists to serve man and never rule over him. That is an excuse for them to put us in chains and lock us up, hidden from the rest of the world. The Chantry forbids any degree of bloodmagic, yet they take our blood and turn it into our leash. The Chantry despises slavery and yet they kill those of us who flee their flock. The Divine tells us the ability to create life is a gift from the Maker, but they take our children from us before we can even hold them! So tell me: who truly has the righteous cause?"—Daylen Amell of the Kinloch Hold Circle of Magi._


	3. Starting With The Sabrae

Dalish Elf

Theron Mahariel

Theron was raised by his foster-mother, Ashalle, and never knew who his parents were, only that his father was keeper before Marethari and whenever he tried to inquire about his parents the elders just turned away from him sadly. This secrecy has caused Theron to have little patience for authority, even for his Keeper's; when an elder tells him not to explore over there, he sees it as challenge to do so and discover why not. This disregard for authority has given Theron a somewhat disrespectful and wild attitude and has made him unafraid to speak his mind to anyone no matter the consequences. But despite being thought of as a rebel and a daredevil, whose antics have caused both Ashalle and Marethari to nearly have a heart attack, Theron is nonetheless thought of with admiration and respect by his whole clan for his skills as a hunter and his unwavering loyalty to his clan.

The second cause for his daring antics is his secret crush for the Keeper' Second, Merrill, who he's been smitten with ever since she came to them from the Alerion Clan in Nevarra. With Merrill always being secluded by Keeper Marethari and with her studies always taking up most of her time, Theron keeps attempting more and more dangerous stunts in the hopes that Merrill will notice him. But Merrill is too adorably absent-minded to actually understand his actions and Theron for all his daring is too shy to flat out say anything to her; he continues to do dangerous things to cover up that shyness.

Despite Theron's hatred of the Chantry and his disdain for Andrastianism, he is a very pious man and shows great reverence for all his gods, and calls upon each of them when he believes his needs fall into their circles. As a hunter Theron gives much of his prayers and reverence to Andruil, the Lady of the Hunt, he even bears Her mark upon his face and ardently follows the Vir Tanadhal. Theron constantly prays to Dirthamen, Keeper of Secrets, to keep his people secret from the humans and for his favor in returning some of the People's lost lore. Theron prays for Falon'Din, The Friend of the Dead, to turn his gaze away from him. When Theron seeks justice and protection he looks to Mythal the Great Protector and when he seeks vengeance Theron looks to her husband, Elgar'nan.

Like many of his kind, Theron possesses a very dismal view on humans as a whole and not just for their past crimes against his people. He is well aware that there a humans who are genuinely good people, but he is also aware that there a just as many who are bad people and they are generally the ones in power. Because the Dalish elves live in the wild and are radically different from their city-kin, the humans fear them and this fear makes the humans dangerous, and it is this danger born of ignorance that makes Theron reviles humans; because they are a clear and constant threat to his people and why they are unable to have a home.

If there is anything that Theron hates with utter certainty it is the Chantry, and there is no one alive who can tell him that he is in the wrong. His people had a home, a land to call their own and when they refused the Chantry, to remain true to their own beliefs and have a positive view on magic, the Chantry called an Exalted March, destroyed their homeland and gave it to the Orleisian Empire. Even today the Chantry will send some misbegotten brother or mother to try and convert them from their "heathen ignorance" or they send their little Templars after their Keepers using words like "apostate" and "maleficar" to justify their actions. When that happens the Chantry is lucky enough to find a few hairs of their foolish acolytes.

When the time came for him to pass from being an apprentice and become a full hunter, Theron chose not to bring down a wolf, bear or stag like his peers, but instead went something infinitely more dangerous: Templars. During his hunt Theron happened upon a contingency of Templars came from the Chantry in Denerim seeking out the Dalish and their "heathnen apostates". Knowing his clan would be in danger if these Chantry dogs found them, Theron wasted no word and attacked them from the shadows of the forest and the canopy, raining arrows down on them with utter surety and purpose. When enough were riddled with arrows, the others tried to run but Theron gave chase, none of them were going to leave this forest alive. When he ran out of arrows he went after them with his axes. They called for the Maker to save them, but the Maker doesn't live outside the cities. When it was done he returned to his clan carrying their severed heads and armor, Marethari became frantic, fearing the Chantry's response, but Theron assured her they would never be discovered: he fed the Templars' bodies to the wolves and without their heads or armor to identify them, it would be as if the forest had swallowed them whole.

Theron is neutral when it comes to the matter of their city brethren, neither pitying them nor hostile of them. He doesn't believe that they gave up their identity to live among humans they just never had a choice and he believes that they should welcome those elves who find the courage to leave that life behind and live as an equal among the Dalish.

During the last Arlathvhen, great gathering of the clans, Theron participated in a series of tests of body and mind that solidified his reputation as one of the best archers and hunters amongst all the Dalish. To commemorate this achievement, Theron carries two treasures from the Arlathvhen. The first was the Veshialle, the axe wielded by the great elven general, Rajmael in his last stand against the Exalted March. The second was his long bow, Falon'Din's Gift, made of precious sylvanwood, halla horn and enchanted with ancient magic, has been carried and passed down through the clans since the foundation and the fall of the Dales.

In combat Theron is a Shadow, striking down his enemies unseen and with a single, well placed arrow. Should his target by armored or lucky enough to get close to him, Theron finishes him them off with his war-axe and hunting knife, which he uses with the same tactic as his bow: one strike, one kill.

"_Alduin, grant that my aim be true and my heart be strong. Dirthamen, reveal to me the secrets to victory. Mythal grant me protection, in this my time of battle. And should the worse come to pass, and Dread Wolf come my way and my enemy over take me, I ask thee, Elgar'nan, for vengeance."–Theron Mahariel._


	4. Ambition In The Alienage

City Elf

Darrian Tabris

Adventure, fame and women, these are the goals and desires of the elf Darrian Tabris. Darrian was born in the alienage of Denerim, the largest city and capital of Fereldan, and is the only son of Cyrion and Adaia Tabris, and for his whole life he has wanted to get out of the armpit of society and make something great out of himself. Though life in the Alienage is harsh, what with living in a filthy slum in a city were all the humans are in power and look down on you at best as a serf and at worst like mangy animal, there are still some good things about. In the Alienage you grow up with your own kind and it's there you learn the importance of family. The Tabris family is no exception.

The Tabris family has a certain reputation in the Alienage of being rebels and troublemakers. Cyrion is a servant in the Denerim palace and is very open-minded and even tempered man, always trying to solve conflicts with steady wisdom and warm compassion; many in the Alienage think he'd make an excellent Hahren. However, Darrian takes much after his mother, Adaia. Adaia a wild woman full of life but with a loving heart and was known in the alienage to be exceptionally skilled rogue, no doubt from her time as a member of the Night Elves that served under Teryn Loghain Mac Tir to drive out the Orlesians from Ferelden. Adaia taught all of her martial abilities to her son who in time surpassed her at a very young age, but of all the lessons she taught Darrian, perhaps, the most important one was that not all humans are vile things that look down on elves.

Sadly, this lesson did not apply to the fully to their reality. One day when three Denerim guards tried to take food from an elven merchant without paying, Darrian, fifteen at the time, pelted them with rotten vegetables. The guards then tried to kill him for "assaulting officers of the law" and Adaia lept to her son's defense. The whole affair ended with Adaia dying but no before she took the guards down with her and giving her love to her son.

Darrian grew up with not just his mother and father but also his two cousins, Soris and Shianni, and together they all got into large heaps of trouble. Shianni is a blunt and vibrant young woman who always speaks out for the rights of elves, and isn't afraid to put up her dukes against those who would come after her and hers with an offensive hand. It's too bad she also uses her big mouth to torment her cousins by getting drunk off her butt and telling everyone in the alienage all their embarrassing childhood secrets. Soris is the careful one, always trying to keep himself and his cousins out of trouble only to fail epically. Darrian is known to get into a lot of trouble with everyone in general with his fast mouth and faster hands, Darrian prefers to diffuse situations with words and easy humor, a talent he received from both parents.

When it comes to religion Darrian doesn't give it much thought. He doesn't see the point in worshiping the Maker or Andraste just because the Chantry tells him to, and especially considering it seems like the Chantry is just rubbing shit in their noses be telling them that their Dalish ancestors were barbaric heathens. He doesn't worship the Dalish Creators because they sound like fairy tales to him. And the Stone? Why would he worship a rock?

Darrian doesn't possess the same prejudice view of humans as most other elves would, but that isn't to say they don't piss him off. He hates how the Chantry in their religious texts portray the elves as vile heathens that had their destruction coming, especially considering that the chant is written in a highly deluded version by high-and-mighty humans in Orlais who have a severely negative view on elves. Though the lot of elves in Fereldan could be worse; they could slaves and jesters in Orlais or Tevinter. At least in this country elves are considered freemen, low freeman, but freeman nonetheless. He doesn't think much of the Dalish elves, never met them, and doesn't plan to. Asking him how he feels of the Dalish elves is like asking him about elves who live under the Qun. Darrian tries his best to not think of everyone by race, he thinks people should just be people and get along.

Darrian also has a case of hero worship for Garahel and Loghain Mac Tir, two unlikely figures who ended up becoming heroes revered by the whole world. Darrian possesses skills few elves in the alienage can ever hope to have and wants to use these abilities to get out into the world and become something more than just another elf living in poverty in the Alienage.

When it comes to combat Darrian moves like an Assassin; preferring to use knives to, cut his enemies down with precision, speed, and dexterity. However, despite how handy he is with blades he prefers to avoid combat using his silver tongue to end conflicts, and is not above using cheap tactics, such as backstabbing, deception and poison. You can either listen to his words and go about your merry way or you'll end up finding a knife being slipped between your vertebrae.

"_My father and the hahren want me to become a merchant or a business owner, to remain safe amongst my own kind in the Alienage. But there is such a thing as an elf with ambitions. I don't want to be another nameless elf stuck in the Alienage. I want to be like Garahel, Thane Sharten and Rajmael all rolled up in to one sexy, unstoppable ball of awesome!"_


	5. Diamond In The Dust

Dwarf Commoner

Natia Brosca

Natia was born in the overflowing slum of Dust Town nestled beneath the city of Orzammar. There very location of this pit represents their place in Dwarven society; all the waste and refuse rolls down here and sits in a giant, septic pile of waste, just like all the dwarves that live here. Here a dwarf has now ancestry and is therefore not even a person, not even a nug, to the rest of the city and are worth less than what a deepstalker can vomit. And here a dwarf has to do whatever it takes just to survive.

Natia was virtually raised by her half-sister Rica most of her life. Rica did her best to try and shield her sister from their mothers drunken abuse and keep her away from the all the bad element in Dust Town, but that's all Dust Town is. As far as Natia is concerned Rica is her mother and does her best to try and forget who their mother really is. She tried not to hate her mother, after all she didn't leave her to die in the Deep Roads as food for deepstalkers like so many other casteless parents do.

Rica has always been proud of her younger sister; there was a spark in those young eyes, something that always drove her to be better than everyone else. When Natie was twelve, Rica was horrified to find evidence that her younger sister had been smuggling things from the upper city. At first she scared and angry, but was soon relieved and astonished to discover that Natia had been smuggling books and teaching herself how to read and write. She had tattered old volumes about the history of the dwarves and colorful books that described all the cities and wondrous places on the surface. When Rica saw that look in her sister's eyes as she read those books she knew she had the makings of greatness in her. Unfortunately that spark was almost always smothered by the dank refuse of Dust Town.

Unlike the dusters in this town who hide their mark in shame or strut around with it like thugs, Natia wears hers and carries herself with a kind of dignified pride that instantly sets her apart from all the other casteless. Some people think that she believes that she's better than all of them; that her mosswine tastes better than theirs, but the real truth is she refuses to let the place she was born into define her. Natia refuses to let anyone but herself define who she is and she will walk with and carry her mark with pride in who she knows she is, not in what's expected of her.

When Natia's father ditched them for the surface and her mother became a full-time alcoholic, she and Rica both had to turn to the local Carta lord to support themselves. Natia's sense of pride and self-worth kept her from becoming a gutter cleaner and from whoring herself, so she became a leg-breaker and messenger for Berhat. It's the exact opposite from what Natia wants from herself, but like anywhere else people do what they can to survive. While in Berhat's employ Natia befriended fellow duster Leske.

Natia is a highly skilled rogue who likes to use her sharp mind and sexuality to get the job done, but she's not a slut. She'll promise to make all your wettest fantasies come true and then she split your skull in half. Like all dusters she has nothing but contempt for the highborn for making them so poor and desperate simply because of what their ancestors probably did six generations ago, but because of that they all deserve to be branded with a hot iron the day their born. That isn't to say she doesn't have a soft side. Natia has tender place in her heart for the desperate and down trodden no matter who they are, elves, mages her fellow casteless and she has a deep fondness for children. In her books she learned about the Paragon Bemot who was born a commoner and during the Fourth Blight but rose to become a Paragon and a king in one move. If he was capable of such a feat than all casteless dwarves should be able to strive for such greatness.

When it comes to matters of the spirit, Natia actuall does believe in the Stone, she just doesn't believe in what the Shaperate says concerning the Stone. She was born in the embrace of the Stone just like every other dwarf and even if she were to leave for the surface the Stone would still hold her up beneath her feet against the sky. What does Shaperate and the Assembly know about the Stone? They are mortal just like everyone else; who are they to decide who the Ancestors favor or who returns to the Stone when they die? They just use the Stone and the favor of the Ancestors as another weapon to keep people like her down.

For a castles dwarf, Natia is highly educated, perhaps more so than other higher born dwarves. She immersed herself in every book she could find, smuggle and steal. Through sheer force of will she taught herself how to read and write and even speak in several other languages. She can also list all the Paragons of Orzammar in alphabetical order. She even helped Rica with her education. More than anything in the world Natia wants to see the stars in the sky, smell flowers and feel the sun on her face, but is unable to for fear of what may happen to her sister and mother.

In combat Natia is a skilled but vicious rogue who like to use her speed to evade her enemies and then deliver a fearsome and devastating blow to them. When it comes to armor and weaponry Natia prefers like to wear light leather armor that doesn't crush her feminine assests, likes to use an axe and a mace to cripple and break her opponents.

"_Soon the time will come when all the noble dwarves will be too busy killing each other or being overrun by the darkspawn and you will all be completely defenseless. And when that happens, all of us, down here, who you spat on and treated like nug-shit for generations simply because of who our ancestors probably were, and we're going to take back what you denied us. And when that day comes I am going to laugh at all your pathetic little houses as we see who truly has Valos Atredum." _


	6. Favored Of The House

Dwarven Noble

Duran Aeducan

The burden of being the son of a king is greater than any man can bare and it requires all sons to be the stuff of Paragons, for the day you are born you bare the weight of the world on your head and must be more than other men are. At least that it how it should be. Many of the Noble Caste strut and flaunt their caste as if it were some kind of shield that protects them from the harsh reality of what the rest of their people must face. Spending all their lives in the Diamond Quarter with all their wealth and servants makes them blind to the fact that their people, their way of life is dying around them, yet they still carry on like the world revolves around their every whim and the only thing that keeps the all the ugliness and refuse from spilling out is the sovereignty of House Aeducan and the stalwart leadership of King Endrin.

Duran was born the second and favored son of King Endrin Aeducan, of House Aeducan. Bhelen was the youngest and was known mostly for being very quiet and not getting into trouble, and Prince Trian, the named heir, always seemed to be in Duran's shadow not matter the pursuit. Being the firstborn Trian always did things first, but when Duran's turn came he always did better than his older brother, whether it was politics, combat or even getting on people's good side, Duran always accomplished more and got their father's favor. And to Duran performed his deed and accomplishments as if they were nothing to him, which wounded Trian deeper, and drove a bigger wedge between the two brothers.

Like his founding Ancestor, the Paragon Aeducan, Duran is obsessed with protecting Orzammar, everything else was secondary. Politics, trade and even wedding alliances could wait, the only thing that truly matters is getting boots into the Deep Roads and securing the safety of his people. Duran is relieved that he was not made the appointed heir because that gives him the freedom he needs to focus all his energy into protecting his city and his culture from being wiped out.

Duran does not think much of the Caste system or the class divide; they are all children of the Stone and these rigid classes separate them as a people. The Shaperate speaks how they must all adhere to the Ancestor's laws and guidance, but these laws and traditions haven't stopped them from becoming an endangered people thanks to the darkspawn. He doesn't believe they should deny anyone, no matter their cast, especially the casteless the chance to prove themselves to their city, people and the Stone itself simply because of the caste they happened to be born in. The election of Paragons as well as the lot of the casteless makes no sense to Duran as both of them are determined by the Shaperate rather than the Ancestors themselves. If the Ancestors truly favor or disfavor someone why do they need the Shaperate's decision about anything? Duran has little patience for the schemes and machinations of the dwarven deshyrs and politicians. All of them posing and claiming honor, when in fact they have none and secretly plot to kill one another, even their own kin. This kind of hypocrisy disgusts Duran, you either have honor or you don't, and dwarves shouldn't waste time killing one another since there are so few of them left in Orzammar.

Duran is a very pragmatic man, even aloof man, and unlike his older brother, doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeve. Duran possess what some law makers call "an emotional vacuum". He is perfectly content with putting aside grudges, old hates and even past crimes if it means accomplishing the greater objective. It is this mind set and power of focus that has led to much of Duran's success in anything he has pursued. He doesn't care for grudges or traditional baggage that the assembly and their laws demand that he adhere to despite the fact that doing otherwise would be more beneficial. This disregard for caste and his respect for people of all walks of life has given him a magnanimous reputation, despite the fact that that was never his intention.

Duran is fiercely loyal to his House and everyone who serves in it, even the servant caste. He and his second Gorim have watched each other's backs in several campaigns and Provings together, earning one another's respect and admiration. During one such campaign to reclaim one of their mining thaigs from the darkspawn, Duran, Gorim and a single battalion held off an entire legion of darkspawn by holding a critical choking point in one of the thaig's confined corridors for nine days while waiting for King Endrin's forces to arrive. This victory elevated Duran's status to Commander of the Aeducan Army, which suited Duran's simple ambitions.

Duran's obsessive desire to protect Orzammar has often led him to consider renouncing his noble status in order to join with the Legion of the Dead or the Grey Wardens. However, his father always had a task for him to complete or a mission to carry out before he could ever receive his father's blessing to join either order. It was these orders, not the armies of the squabbling Noble Houses, that made any victory of theirs against the darkspawn possible, and Duran has wanted nothing more than to put his talent to good use in their ranks.

In combat Duran prefers to wear the heavy plate-mail of his people for ultimate protection against darkspawn blades and claws. A master of phalanx and close-quarter-combat, Duran uses a masterful style of shield and sword that utilizes ultimate attack with impenetrable defense, which unbalances and stuns even the most skilled warriors. And being trained by the best that House Aeducan has to offer Duran is a Champion of his House and his people, using his charisma and frontline leadership skills to raise his men's morale and give them the strength to fight on against their foe.

"_Orzammar must be as the Stone: unyielding and eternal. But we must also whittle away the rough and crumbling edges of our traditions and our society. Only when we do away with the backward thinking and stubborn idiocy that we cling to will we be able to reveal the gem within our culture and finally retake our glory."—Duran, Prince of House Aeducan._


End file.
